this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2023
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[–] Yondu_the_Ravager 62 points 11 months ago (8 children)

I hope Nintendo actually makes this a huge step up from the Switch we’ve had since 2017. The OLED switch was nice, but it’s what the switch should’ve been from day one.

Oh and dear lord PLEASE let them fix the joycon issues. I would love to play my switch more in handheld mode but because both of my joycons have drift, it’s impossible to play in anything but docked mode with a pro controller.

[–] Birchoff 31 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I wish for all controller manufactures to use that magnetic joystick instead

[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Hall Effect Joysticks!

I think the copyright for that technology is, well…copyrighted. So Nintendo would need to pay a licensing fee to use it in their Joycons (as would any gaming company for their joysticks). That would add significant cost to the controllers.

Same reason we haven’t seen back buttons adopted into controllers as a standard yet despite being the next logical evolution in controller design.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago (1 children)

@StarServal, you mean patents (not copyright), since it is about inventions.

And there is at least one hall effect controller patent that already expired. It is from 1988, so hall effect joysticks are not a new thing at all.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4825157A/

@anarchyrabbit @Yondu_the_Ravager @Birchoff

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

The OLED switch was nice, but it’s what the switch should’ve been from day one.

The processor was long in the tooth and the joycons were unacceptably flawed on day one. The OLED switch changed none of these things and it still frustrates me a lot that people weren’t more critical of it tbh.

[–] Yondu_the_Ravager 5 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Yeah they’d fill should’ve upgraded the processor for the OLED switch, and I totally agree about the joycon situation. I was more talking about the screen, Nintendo easily could’ve made the first Gen switch OLED but they didn’t.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I feel the price was already a little high at launch (since they are adamant about making a profit on hardware as opposed to Sony/Microsoft who sell at a loss) so the addition of a more expensive screen would’ve probably pushed the price too high tbh. It was 2017, OLED’s were still pretty new and very expensive.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (3 children)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK and Switzerland Nintendo will fix your joycons for free. If you are anywhere else, just buy some new sticks and replace them.

[–] macintosh 7 points 11 months ago

They do in the US too.

[–] TheFonz 4 points 11 months ago

Am in Italy. Sent mine in yesterday actually. Thanks EU!

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[–] vmachiel 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Just put in a modern chip to start with if the hardware will be the same for 7-8 years

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

But then if becomes the price of a Rog Ally or similar. Nintendo need to hit the cost/power ratio for a mas audience.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

If they don't fix the joycon issues Nintendo is going to lose more lawsuits and be on the hook for fixing people's joycons for free forever. I just sent 4 of mine in in the US.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Ironically my joycons that I've had since launch day have been fine (regarding drift, anyway), but my pro controller got drift last year, and I just had to replace it.

[–] Yondu_the_Ravager 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That’s wild. My release day joycons drift like a bitch, but I have never once had an issue with my pro controller. I didn’t even know the pro controller could have drifting issues tbh

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[–] DrAnthony 35 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I seriously doubt Nintendo would get into a situation where they are less than a year away from a new console without even soft announcing it's coming in an investor meeting or anything. They announced Switch (as the upcoming NX) in April 2016 for a March 2017 launch. WiiU was announced April 2011, for a November~Dec 2012 launch. The Wii was hyped 2 years in a row in 2004 and 2005 before releasing in 2006, and the Gamecube was announced August 2000 before a Sept~Nov 2001 release. Nintendo may very well be launching new hardware early next year, but history points more to a Switch Pro unless they announce VERY soon and the release window is more late summer~fall 2024.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

My thought too. My guess is the early 2024 date is for an announcement for a late/holiday 2024 release, if there is anything actually going on soon. Announcing late this year for an early-year launch makes little sense from a marketing and timing standpoint. You're both cutting the pre-launch buildup awfully close for the comfort of publishers, consumers and retailers, and also potentially screwing up your holiday sales window for this year since people will likely want to hold out for the new console rather than invest in the late-year releases, which then also screws with third parties' bottom line at a critical sales point in the year. If there really is a planned early 2024 release date for this thing, the earlier the announcement, the better at this point.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The WiiU was announced in April 2011 for a November Nov 2001 release?

[–] DrAnthony 4 points 11 months ago

Sorry, must have had a typo, announced April 2011, released Nov 2012

[–] echo64 32 points 11 months ago

I guess one of these posts has to eventually be right, same post with the date nine months away for years

[–] WestyFlyer 17 points 11 months ago (11 children)

What are the chances it’s backwards compatible with Switch games? Digital and physical?

[–] Nioxic 55 points 11 months ago (1 children)

50%

Either it is.

Or it isn't.

[–] Savirius 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

"Think of it like a dice roll: You either roll or 6, or you don't, so basically it's 50/50."

[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago

Let's look at the track record.

Backwards compatible handhelds:

  • GameBoy Colour (to GB)
  • Gameboy Advance (to GBC)
  • Nintendo DS (to GBA)
  • Nintendo 3DS (to DS)

Home consoles:

  • Wii (to GC)
  • Wii U (to Wii)

Not backwards compatible:

  • SNES
  • VirtualBoy
  • Nintendo 64
  • GameCube
  • Switch

Lack of backwards compatibility to the previous generation has usually followed from a change in media format, and even then there has been a willingness to make an effort (the DS with its two slots being the prime example). Backwards compatibility seems to be a good way to ensure a wide selection of games at launch, and the negative aspect (not being able to sell the re-releases of the same games yet again to those desperate enough) seems to be outweighed by the positive (availability of games at launch; maintained interest in games from previous generation).

There's no real reason for Switch cartridges to grow any smaller, and I doubt they'll go back to discs. So I would say there's a pretty good chance of backward compatibility.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

It's Nintendo so they will probably try to get you to pay for Mario Cart again

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

@WestyFlyer With how long first party games are taking to bring to market these days, it almost has to be backwards compatible, just for the sake of having a playable library at launch.

[–] Zoldyck 4 points 11 months ago

The Switch will be my last Nintendo console for a long while if they don't make at least the digital library backwards compatible. I'll save my money for Valve's Steam Deck 2 (when it comes) in that case. I mostly play portable anyway.

[–] dual_sport_dork 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Nintendo has been quite keen on backwards compatibility across quite a few devices, particularly those based around the same general architecture. If this rumored Switch 2 A) exists, and B) has physical capabilities the same or comparable to the Switch (using Joy Cons and controller compatibility, being able to function in docked and handheld modes, etc.) it's a pretty good bet that it will also be able to play Switch games.

We can hope, perhaps, that in its backwards compatibility mode it might even be able to get Tears of the Kingdom to run at a decent frame rate. The fanboys will hit the moon if so.

The Gameboy Advance could play Gameboy games. The DS could play Gameboy Advance games. The 3DS could play normal DS games. (And DSi games, but no one cared about those.) The Wii could play Gamecube games. The WiiU could play regular Wii games. Nintendo's track record on backwards compatibility, at least across a single system generation, has historically been quite good.

On the digital front, you could transfer your digital stuff from the Wii to the WiiU, and you could also (I believe the plug on this capability has since been pulled) transfer your stuff from a DSi to a 3DS. Again, if the architecture is the same I think transfer of your digital assets will also likely be possible.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

The only times a Nintendo console wasn’t backwards compatible at least one generation was when they changed the hardware that Roms ran on. GC played on Wii which played on WiiU. As long as new switch keeps the cartridges it should be compatible.

[–] mindbleach 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

100.0%. There is just no benefit whatsoever to rocking that boat. The Switch is a converted Android gizmo, ARM is still the only sane answer for high-performance mobile platforms, and their video hardware is from the company that bought ARM. To say nothing of the PR shitstorm it would be to slice their market in half.

That said, you'll still have to buy Virtual Console games separately, because Nintendo.

[–] beefcat 4 points 11 months ago

Nvidia's acquisition of ARM never actually went through.

[–] MKBandit 3 points 11 months ago

Nvidia didn't buy ARM

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

It should be. If it's just a more powerful Switch with a similar design then there'd be no reason not to. It'd really hinder adoption if everyone had to replace their console and still keep Switch 1 around. The Wii U was backwards compatible with Wii games even though it changed up the format a bit.

[–] bcoffy 2 points 11 months ago

Assuming it’s built on the same Tegra line of chips, there could be issues with back compat according to MVG. But there are ways around that that Nintendo could take, and they have a lot of incentive to make it backwards compatibile

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)
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[–] CaptainEffort 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What? No dude, I’m pretty sure its coming out tomorrow

[–] son_named_bort 4 points 11 months ago

It definitely is. My uncle, who works at Nintendo, told me so.

[–] mindbleach 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If they don't embrace G-Sync, they're fools. It's such an obvious advantage for power-constrained rendering where they provide the screen.

Also yeah obviously fix the damn drift. Joysticks are not unexplored technology. At some point you're begging for a lawsuit over basic consumer protection. If you can't be arsed to fix a problem everyone complains about, when it'd cost 0.01% of MSRP to address, you're doing capitalism wrong. Grease your squeaky wheel already.

Beyond that... I'm not expecting any huge leaps. Look at the DS line and how it printed money. Those occasional upgrades, not quite generational, balanced ongoing software compatibility with eager hardware adoption. Consider how they still own the entire handheld console space, somehow. There's no overwhelming motivation to reach for immense power or gobs more memory. If they get Unreal 5 looking good at a whopping 1080p40, they're golden for another five years.

[–] Fubar91 3 points 11 months ago

I'd like to see a dock with proper 4k output and scaling. Some of the older switch titles kinda looking strange on larger format TVs. But I guess the main point of the switch is the portability aspect.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Would like a new animal crossing please and thanks ;)

[–] Mononon 3 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Whatever the Switch 2 end up as, I think people may be disappointed. Without some huge leap in battery and power efficiency, it's going to be hard to keep something slim and relatively small while also making it much more powerful and having decent battery life. Just look at the handheld PC market. You can make something more powerful, but other things will suffer (size of you're the Steam Deck, battery life and thermals if you're the Ally). You could certainly make a more powerful Switch, but if keeping it small and somewhat battery efficient is important, the improvements to power wouldn't be earth shattering unless Nintendo is sitting on some battery tech no one else has.

[–] Dark_Blade 7 points 11 months ago

Chip design, especially ARM, has come a long way in 7 years. Nintendo will have to try really hard to find a chip that isn’t significantly more powerful than the garbage they put in the Switch.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

The thing is that the people that buy Nintendo they don't care about the performance of the console, they care about the games, and those you can only get on Nintendo consoles (yes, you can emulate games but emulation is a very niche thing that most people won't bother doing)

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Couldn't it also be the rumoured PS5 pro?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Could be I suppose. The company hinting at this makes IR image sensors though. Does the PS5 have any kind of IR imaging built in? Legitimate question, I don't have one.

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